Today more and more devices are capable of reporting their position. As a result of the FCC's E911 mandate for wireless phones, all cellular networks must be capable of reporting the position of the caller. Many CDMA carriers have implemented handset based solutions employing GPS (or A-GPS and AFLT), where the measurements used to determine position are done at the handset. Some carriers have chosen to use network-based solutions where the measurements done to locate the handset are done by the network. As a result of the FCC E911 mandate, location information for cellular handsets can be readily available and used for a variety of location-based services. Cell phones have become integral with our society so much so that now it is becoming more and more common for children to carry cell phones. Location-based services with children's safety in mind have been implemented. In some solutions, for example, parents can determine where their child is and which direction they might be headed.
The justice system is making use of GPS transponders to track criminals. It is becoming common today that criminals, such as sex offenders and sexual predators, must wear such a device as a condition of their release. These transponders are monitored to make sure that the criminal does not go to locations that are prohibited. For example a sex predator may not be allowed within a certain distance of a school or playground.
A problem with these systems for tracking sex offenders and sexual predators is that there is no way of knowing if the offender is in the presence of a child. Protection of children is further complicated since, according to the Child Safety Network (CSN), identification of children in an emergency is difficult because they are not required to carry identification. Moreover, many young children are not capable of dialing their home number if they are outside of their area code.